Global High Seas Treaty Achieves Milestone for Ocean Conservation

Tue Sep 23 2025 09:08:32 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The High Seas Treaty, a landmark agreement aimed at protecting marine biodiversity, has secured the necessary ratifications to become international law starting next January.

The High Seas Treaty has officially received its 60th ratification from Morocco, enabling the historic agreement to come into force in January. This treaty, aimed at conserving marine biodiversity and reversing damage to the oceans, marks a significant step in global efforts to protect two-thirds of the world's oceans. With nearly 10% of marine species at risk of extinction, this agreement may facilitate the establishment of marine protected areas and foster international collaboration in ocean conservation.

A global agreement designed to protect the world's oceans and reverse damage to marine life is set to become international law. The High Seas Treaty received its 60th ratification by Morocco on Friday, meaning that it will now take effect from January.

The deal, which has been two decades in the making, will pave the way for international waters to be placed into marine protected areas. Environmentalists heralded the milestone as a 'monumental achievement' and evidence that countries can work together for environmental protection.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commented, 'Covering more than two-thirds of the ocean, the agreement sets binding rules to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity.' With decades of overfishing, pollution from shipping, and warming oceans, life below the surface has been severely damaged.

In the latest assessment of marine species, nearly 10% were found to be at risk of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Three years ago, countries agreed that 30% of the world's national and international waters, the high seas, must be protected by 2030 to help depleted marine life recover.

Currently, just 1% of the high seas are protected, leaving marine life at risk of overexploitation. In 2023, countries signed the High Seas Treaty, pledging to protect 30% of these waters.

The treaty required ratification from over 60 nations to take effect. Many nations need parliamentary approval, which can extend the process. Nonetheless, Elizabeth Wilson, senior director for environmental policy at The Pews Charitable Trust, highlighted the rapid pace of this ratification process.

The UK introduced its ratification bill to Parliament in early September. Kirsten Schuijt, director-general of the World Wide Fund for Nature, and Mads Christensen, executive director of Greenpeace International, lauded this agreement as a pivotal moment for ocean conservation.

Upon the treaty's implementation, countries will endorse areas for protection, which will subsequently be voted on by signatory nations. Advocates urge an end to the era of exploitation of ocean resources, emphasizing the ocean's crucial role in sustaining life on Earth.